The Process of Courting
by LuciliYuri
Summary: A series of chapters following Anna, Princess of Corona and her experience with people trying to court her. This story will mainly focus on the attempts of Prince Hans of the Southern Isles and Princess Elsa of Arendelle who both compete for Anna's attention.
1. Chapter 1 - Beginning

_Oh. My. God_. Anna blinked her eyes wide open. She was late. Quickly, she rushed out of bed, squirmed out of her pajamas, and threw on her green social dress. Her hair was a mess, and she had neither the skill nor patience to take care of her own bedhead. "HILDAAAAAA!" she screamed, which had the maid Hilda come running as quickly as she could.

"Yes?"

"Please fix my hair?" she begged, her eyes pleading with a look that Hilda understood all too clearly. Princess Anna overslept on the day she will first be formally introduced to society, in which she will finally be able to socialize with others and be...well..."courted."

As Hilda seated Anna down in front of a mirror and began working on her hair, Anna couldn't help but let her mind wander. The idea of being courted was still funny to her. As a child, she never gave much thought to it, and proper ettique were the least of her worries. Now, all she can think of is how she's going to step on her dance partner's feet, how she's going to be stared at for loving chocolate so much, and how she's going to mess something up one way or another, and scare all her potential suitors away. It was nerve wrecking.

"Done," Hilda said with a satisfactory pat on Anna's shoulder.

"Thanks!" she replied before getting out of the room as fast as she can to get to her mother.

Unfortunatley, her tardiness did not escape notice. Who wouldn't notice the most important lady of the day being missing from a social gathering organized specially for her?

Anna's arrival hushed every guest in the party room, which was like a ball room but just slightly smaller, with more chairs and a piano by the large windows that may as well just be a giant hole in the wall.

Feeling more awkward than she thought it would feel, she made her way to her mother, who was sitting comfortably on the couch with several other women, probably to talk about the gossips that fly across the nation of Corona faster than the wind itself.

As if nothing was wrong, the queen stood up, followed by everyone in their company. As if on cue, the queen turned to the group of women closest to them and said "May I introduce my daughter, Princess Anna of Corona. Anna, this is Countess Claire Blake, of..."

It wasn't hard to tell Anna's attention wasn't on those she was being introduced to. She was much more eager on seeing a certain someone else there. Elsa.

Anna and Elsa had been close friends for as long as they could remember, but the distance between Arendelle and Corona made it impossible to visit each other often. Which made Anna that much more eager to see Elsa amongst the long list of guests today.

"...na. ANNA!"

Anna turned to her mother. "Yes?"

"Did you hear a word I said?"

"Of course, mother."

"Anyways, the Duchess of Helmsbrugh would like to introduce you to her nephew, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

The thought of an introduction caught Anna's full attention, even more so when the handsome "Prince Hans" appeared from behind his aunt.

"My lady," he bowed, taking her hand in his and kissing the knuckle of her middle finger.

Anna returned the courtesy with a curtsy.

As her mother, the duchess, and the prince talked on and on about some social gathering or another gossip, Anna's gaze fell back to the rest of the crowd, still searching for Elsa but with no sign of her. Disappointed, Anna turns her head back towards the prince. He was okay, for a guy. Definitely more handsome than most others. Yet her mind still wandered to her old friend.

She leaned closer to her mother and tugged on the queen's arm. "Mother, will Elsa be here today?" she asked, increasingly eager to see her old friend again so they can run away somewhere to ditch the gossips and mouths that never stopped.

"Why would Elsa be here? Today is a day for you to find suitors, not to play with your friends."

Anna knew her mother was right. Elsa had no reason to be there, and Anna knew how much she hated being in the company of so many people at once. Dejected, Anna tried to focus on the conversation that was going on, but unable to absorb it at all.

Then, a warm hand was placed gently on her shoulder, spinning the princess around to see who it was. Lo and behold, Princess Elsa of Arendelle.

"Hello Anna."

"..."

"Anna?"

"ELSA!" Anna screamed as she raised herself with her knees on the couch to embrace Elsa in a hug tighter than she had ever done. "I missed you," she said softly as she let go of the older princess.

Elsa cleared her throat and Anna remembered where she was. Awkwardly, she sat back down on the couch properly and Elsa proceeded to sit next to her.

"Duchess of Helmsbrugh, Prince Hans, may I introduce Elsa, first princess of Arendelle," the queen proceeded to say, as if nothing was out of place. Prince Hans glanced at the older princess, but was met with an icy cold glare that told him to back off. He did so quietly but it did not stop his advances with Anna.

"Princess Anna, it's a beautiful day outside. Would you like to walk with me? With your mother's permission, of course," he proceeded to say. "I believe there are many things we can talk about."

"Of course," the queen said before Anna could even decide on an answer. "I, however will not be joining you. As custom states, Anna cannot go with you alone, so I shall have Elsa go with you in my stead."

Anna was all the more pleased that Elsa will be joining her, but the look on Elsa's face was so blank, she couldn't tell whether or not the older princess was happy about it as well.

Naturally, Prince Hans did not give Anna time to waver or think over her mother's decision, nor did he give Elsa a chance to say anything. "Shall we?" he asked, holding a hand out to help Anna up before proceeding towards the door.

Anna followed, and Elsa got up and followed after.


	2. Chapter 2 - Letter

Prince Hans looked even better outside than inside, with the sun just bouncing off his skin and hair like it was made just to do that. Anna couldn't keep her eyes off him.

"So, Princess Anna. What do you enjoy doing as a way to pass the time?"

Anna's face beamed at the question. "Riding horses, of course!" she replied almost immediately.

"Is that so? I happen to be a fan of horses as well."

"Really? Which one do you like best? Pure breds are beautiful, of course, but I kind of prefer a mix. It's like being able to get the best of the best!" she said excitingly, her voice getting higher and higher with each word that came out of her mouth.

"I... I prefer the white ones," Hans replied.

"Which breed?" Anna asked.

"Um...Actually, I have something else to ask.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No.

"Really? I happen to have twelve brothers."

"TWELVE?! You'r lying!"

"It's the truth! I swear!"

And so, the conversation went on and on, and Anna came to enjoy Prince Hans' company as the walk went on, so much that she forgot Elsa was even there. At least until Elsa tapped her shoulder to remind her it was time for lunch. With that, Anna dragged Prince Hans back inside, with Elsa following quickly behind. However, by the time Anna managed to sit down in her chair, waiting for the food to be served, she realized that Elsa was no longer there. Quietly, she tapped her mother's shoulder.

"Mother, where's Elsa? Won't she be joining us for lunch?" she asked, regretting how she ignored her best friend to talk about sandwiches with Hans.

"She left around the time you came back. Said it was urgent," the queen replied.

Anna sank in her chair. Elsa was supposed to be there for her, so why wasn't she? Surely she was busy with something...probably, but what could be more important than her coming of age? It's her day.

After lunch was over, Anna spent the rest of the day walking with Hans in the garden. Despite his claim of interest in horses, the subject of those magnificent creatures never came back up, nor did they even go on a ride once throughout the whole day. As soon as Hans left, Anna went back to her room, eager to change out of the dress and into her breeches. She wanted to go riding.

* * *

As soon as she finished changing, a knock came upon her door.

"Yes?"

"Princess, there's a letter for you."

Anna opened the door to see Hilda standing outside with a letter in her hand, addressed to Anna with her name written so fancily and perfectly she couldn't recognize the handwriting.

"Who's it from?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. The messenger came by to deliver it and before I could ask who it was from, he left. Says there was no need to write back."

Anna stared curiously at the letter, wondering what it could possibly say and who it could possibly be from. Nevertheless, she needed her daily ride. Anna took the letter and tucked it in her pocket as she ran towards the stables. She'll need to ride somewhere first. Then she'll read the letter.

Almost as quickly as she left the castle, she arrived at the field she usually went to, that was basically all grass with the exception of one very old tree in the middle. She tried to ask where the tree came from but all anyone ever told her was that the tree was too old for anyone to remember where it came from. Nevertheless, it was one of Anna's favorite places to spend the day, especially when she wanted to run from her mother or father.

Unmounting, Anna tied her horse's reins to a lower branch before climbing the tree. About halfway up, there was a large branch of perfect width for her to sit. There was also a hole in the trunk around there that she liked to put small things like this beautifully decorated marble she got a while ago as well as an old marble knight from the chessboard she accidentally dropped.

Still curious about the letter, Anna turned it around to look at the seal. Surely there was some kind of crest on it. However, no matter how she looked, she couldn't distinguish any kind of crest anywhere. It was simply the blob of candle wax used as a seal and a circular dent in it, possibly meant to take the place of whatever crest that should have been there. Slowly, Anna opened the letter.

 _Dear Anna,_

 _I hope this letter didn't disturb you in any way. I didn't get a chance to talk to you earlier today but I hope I may express all that I wanted to say here in this letter. You are even more beautiful than I could imagine, and that is not a compliment I give away on a regular basis. You were always beautiful, but even more so. I don't think I have words to describe it. If I were to compare you to anything in this world, I'd compare you to a goddess._

 _I apologize for leaving without saying much to you, but I really did have urgent business to attend to. I hope it didn't bother you too much. While I do regret having to leave without telling you, I do want to say that I had my reasons, the first being that you seemed to happy that I didn't want to ruin your day by announcing my departure. Second, being that I didn't want to say goodbye. I hope you'll believe me when I say that I really did want to spend the entire day with you. However, such task doesn't seem possible at this point, considering the distance between our homes. I also wanted to thank you for giving me the honor of having seen you today. It really made my day and I hope we can see each other more often._

 _Yours truly,_

Anna read the letter over and over again, and even turned the page to see if there was anything else. The words in the letter made her blush from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. And yet, she was disappointed. The letter wasn't signed. No name. No signature. No indication of who might have written it other than the beautiful handwriting of letter. No matter how Anna thought about it, there was no way it could be Hans. He didn't leave without telling her. However, there were so many other people there that she didn't know how many suitors left without telling her. She didn't know how many left early. She didn't know how many actually wanted to spend the day with her, nor did she know how many lived far from her. Even with her mother's help, the list of possibilities is enormous and Anna knew that. That, and she wasn't going to ask her mother for help with finding the one who wrote the letter simply because she knew that she would never hear the end of it. Who would write a love letter to someone the day they met? Before she could finish pondering, it was time to go back. The sun was setting and Anna didn't want to be yelled at again for being late to supper.


	3. Chapter 3 - Excitement

**A/N: Hey, all! Sorry about this late(?) update (then again I never set a schedule for myself so...lol~) Anyways, I apologize for the short chapter and not saying anything to you sooner. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and reviews would be greatly appreciated. Before you, as a reader, continue reading, I need you to know that this story is, in short, an elsanna fanfic. I battleship these two, and I will Heli-carrier it if I have to. To those who are now dismayed by this fact, keep in mind that what you think is up to you and what I think is up to me. Happy reading~**

* * *

Anna woke up late, as usual. With a soft sigh, she couldn't help but feel slightly out of place. The mansion was great, of course. However, she missed the castle. It had been her father's idea, for her to spend a year in a mansion in the country side. He claimed it was better for her there to socialize with people her own age, as some might be too nervous to enter the castle casually. Nevertheless, Anna had obeyed and here she was, in her bed at noon.

Her mind kept wandering back to the letter she had received. No name. No signature. No seal. She wanted to know...she needed to know who it was from but her mind couldn't seem to grasp onto anyone in particular. There was no one she met yesterday who had shown her the passion the letter implied, and the list of possibilities were endless. Who knew her mother had so many connections? When Anna looked over the guest list, the list of men...suitors who were there was endless. It was impossible. Instead, Anna contented herself for the time being with imagining how this...mystery admirer might look. Tall, handsome, dark hair that shined in the sun with dreamy eyes...

Suddenly, Hans came into mind. Yet it was impossible and she knew it. It couldn't be Hans. Hans certainly left saying his goodbyes and lingered a little too long after for comfort. Anna quickly brushed away the thought and got up. She quickly got dressed before heading downstairs for brunch, only to be greeted by Hans.

"Your Highness."

"Prince Hans," Anna replied. "I wasn't expecting you here."

"Nor was I, Your Highness. I had intended to visit the town nearby but it seems my ride decided to bring me here instead," he said, looking out the windows towards the stables where his horse was gladly drinking from the creek.

Anna laughed before looking into Hans' eyes. "Will you join me for brunch?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, allowing her to hold his arm with her hands as they walked into the dining room together.

After brunch was over, Anna talked with Hans for a while, mostly about his twelve brothers, their "shared" love for sandwiches, and how they want to be independent. Yet she couldn't absorb most of the conversation, as interesting as the fights he had with his brothers were. She was too busy thinking about the letter that was now sitting inside a box, hidden in the trunk of her tree.

"What are you thinking about?" Hans asked, noticing her distraction.

"Huh? Oh, uh...nothing," she replied, giving him a slight smile before facing forward.

Soon enough, it was time for Hans to leave, as it was inappropriate enough for him to be with her without supervision from her mother. It was even more inappropriate for him to stay with her for dinner, uninvited by the queen.

Anna sat through a silent dinner with her mother and expected it to be silent for the rest of the meal. However, her mother wasn't going to be that generous. The queen cleared her throat and began to speak.

"What do you think of the suitors?" she asked.

"What?"

"Your suitors. Have any of them caught your attention?"

"Not really."

"Is that so? Then I suppose your secret walk with _Prince Hans_ was also a sign of disinterest?"

"W-What?!"

Anna was surprised her mother knew. She hadn't seen her mother ever since she woke up and suddenly her mother knew everything.

"Please, dear. I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him. You _like_ him~" she teased.

"Mother! No!" Anna was practically shouting at this point.

"Hans is...well..."

"Handsome?"

"Yes."

"Dreamy?"

"Yes."

"A Prince?"

"That too...MOTHER!"

The queen laughed, leaving Anna sitting silently, staring down at her now empty plate with a heavy blush upon her cheeks.

Before she allowed the queen to say anything else, she got up.

"I'm going for a ride," she said as she excused herself, ignoring her mother's remark that it was too late.

As she walked out, a servant came running up to her with another letter in hand.

"My apologies Your Highness, but the messenger didn't leave a name and left without saying anything again."

"I understand. Thank you," Anna said as she got on her horse with the letter in hand, riding towards the tree she treasured so much. Without delay, she opened the letter.

 _Dear Anna,_

 _I apologize again for my sudden leave yesterday, and I know that this second letter may be too soon. However, I do want you to know that I had every intention of visiting today, but certain things have come up and kept me busy. However, I do have some good news. Due to the distance between our kingdoms, I have been granted permission to reside in an estate closer to your current residence, and thus will be able to visit whenever I find the time to do so. I look forward to seeing you again soon and would love for you to know that I highly value our time together._

Again, no signature, no name, no seal. Anna couldn't help but read the letter with a blush. Never have anyone written her anything, and never have such a short message made her feel anything before. Who could the writer possibly be? A lot of her suitors have taken up residence in nearby estates, mainly for the duration of the season before they must return to their respective kingdoms. Anna, heart warm from reading the letter, carefully placed it back inside the envelope and placed that inside the box inside her tree. Soon she will meet this mystery writer and soon she will find out exactly what kind of person could write her such sweet words.


	4. Chapter 4 - Thoughts

**A/N: First off, thank you to all who gave a review. It means a lot to me :) Reviews and constructive criticism will always be appreciated (*w*) Honestly not sure what else I should say lol. I'll try to update as often as I can, but keep in mind that I don't have a regular schedule. Anyways, sit back and enjoy, because you Elsanna fans will _LOVE_** **this one. Happy reading~**

* * *

Anna has never had a week as stressful as this one. She hadn't heard from the mystery writer since that second letter. Hans visited often but her mind was never on him, regardless of his attempts to grab her attention. Her imagination ran wild with the thought of this mystery man, El. She had decided to call him El because all she got from him were the letters. El, as in L for letters. Time and time again, she'd wake herself up early in the morning and spend the entire day waiting for another letter or at least for the messenger to show up. At the very least she was going to hunt that messenger down and demand answers. However, there was nothing. No messenger, no letter, not even a clue as to what was going on. All she had were her letters.

At this point, even the queen herself became worried. Anna never woke up early, and yet for an entire week, she did, and always seemed to wake up in the morning, anxious about something and went to bed disappointed. Whatever it was, Anna never told her.

On the eighth day since that last letter, it began to rain. It started with a drizzle, but soon became a thunderstorm. Anna was okay with the storm, but the gloominess of the weather had left her more disappointed than ever. There was no way El was going to visit today. It's near impossible. No matter how much Anna wished, it wasn't going to...

 _Knock knock knock_.

Anna jumped up from her seat on the stairs near the front doors. _EL_!

Anna rushed to open the doors, nearly tripping over herself as she did, despite a maid rushing over to open the doors for her.

On the other side, despite the darkness, Anna could see a woman standing outside, soaked from the rain but undisturbed by the cold the winds brought.

"Hello, Anna," the woman said, her voice so familiar and so sweet to Anna's ears she couldn't believe it to be true.

" _ELSA_!" she cried, arms reaching out to pull the older woman into a tight hug.

The maid nearby cleared her throat.

"Your Highness, I believe it would be ill advised to leave Princess Elsa in the rain," she said, snapping Anna back to reality.

"Oh! Sorry," she said, letting go of Elsa's body and taking her hand in her own. "Let's get you dried up."

Anna pulled Elsa inside as the maid shut the door. Another servant came by with towels in his arms, holding it out to Anna. The princess took the fluffy white towels and began to wrap it around Elsa's head, trying to dry those beautiful platinum blonde locks.

"Anna, I can do this myself," the older said as she placed her own hands on the towel, trying to pull away from Anna.

"No! I _wanna_ do this!" she objected, cheeks puffed in a pout.

"...Anna, that's not fair," Elsa replied, obediently lowering her hands to her side.

Anna knew Elsa couldn't say no. Not to her pouting face. Despite the guilt that piled up in her chest, Anna continued to dry Elsa off, lowering the towel from her head and onto her back.

"Anna, I can do the rest myself."

"Maybe, but you need a bath."

Anna threw the towel towards the servant who brought it and pulled Elsa upstairs. A bath was already set up, meant for Anna but the princess could wait for now. Elsa needed the bath more than she did.

Waiting for Elsa to finish her bath was too time consuming for Anna's liking. With each minute that passed, she was growing more and more impatient. She wanted to spend time with her friend. Is that so wrong? Luckily, Elsa finished before Anna's patience wore off. Unfortunately, Anna had forgotten to get the blonde a change of clothes and she can't wear her wet dress anymore.

"Anna?"

"Yes?" Anna replied, practically jumping off her bed and almost running into the bathroom before she found the door still locked.

"Um...could you get me a change of clothes?"

Anna's face turned bright red. How could she have forgotten? Had the door not been locked, she'd have done the worst thing anyone could do to a woman of royalty - see her _naked_ in the bath as someone who isn't married to her. The moment the thought crossed her mind, Anna couldn't stop thinking about it. They were both women, so it should be fine. However, Elsa was older and it was still improper. Anna shook her head furiously. She needed to calm down. It had taken her years to pacify her nerves and she wasn't going to let them set fire to the grace she's worked towards for her parents. Then again, this was Elsa she was thinking about. It shouldn't matter. They've bathed together as children, so why is it so improper to see her naked now?

Anna quickly ran to her wardrobe to grab something for Elsa. While their sizes were almost similar, the blonde was still taller. Anna dug through her clothes to find something that was too long for herself and quickly ran towards the bathroom again, knocking.

"Elsa? Open the door so I can give you the clothes."

"..."

"Elsa?"

Anna's face twitched with worry. Surely nothing had happened while she was lost in her own thoughts. She hadn't heard anything troubling.

"Um...it's fine if you just leave it by the door," Elsa replied, her voice soft and gentle but the nervousness in it was extremely obvious.

"Elsa, we're both girls. It's fine. Just open the-"

Before Anna could finish, a maid knocked on her door and called for lunch. Disappointed, Anna placed the dress by the door for Elsa.

"It's by the door now. Come down for lunch once you're dressed."

Anna practically ran out of her own room and towards the dining room, her face still flushed. What was she thinking? Why on earth did she think it was a good idea to go inside the bathroom to see Elsa naked? And more importantly, why did she want to see the blonde naked so badly?

Anna's thoughts were everywhere as she tried to settle down to eat. Her gluttonous appetite was only fueled by her thoughts as she drowned herself in them, not noticing Elsa walk in until her mother spoke.

"Elsa. I didn't realize you were here today. You look lovely."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Elsa replied, her voice now much calmer than before but still as gentle.

Slowly, Anna turned around in her seat to look at the older princess. Her hair, usually in a delicate bun, was now in a simple braid hanging loose against one shoulder. Her bangs were slicked back over the top of her head, still slightly wet though Anna knew they'd stay that way even if they were dry. However, that wasn't what had Anna's attention. It was the fact that the dress Elsa wore was simply magnificent. The dress wasn't puffy, like most gowns people wore. The dress itself was blue, but had a silver hue to it that almost made it sparkle whenever Elsa moved. The sleeves were long but the color was pale, almost matching Elsa's own skin color had it not been for the blue. It wrapped nicely around Elsa's body, hugging it and showing off her curves, and Anna couldn't help but stare. It was stunning. The length of the dress was perfect as well, falling just a centimeter below Elsa's ankle. Every step Elsa took to get to the table, Anna couldn't help but think a goddess is walking through her home. The dress was actually given to Anna a while ago but she never thought it looked good on her. The dress was too long and the silvery blue color didn't match. However, on Elsa, it was perfect, magnificent, stunning, beautiful, and whatever other word that could describe something so amazing that words couldn't describe it.

"na... _ANNA_!"

"What?!"

Anna turned around to look at her mother, unaware of the blush that had dominated her cheeks.

"You're making Elsa uncomfortable. Stop staring so much and go back to eating," the queen said firmly, which made Anna's cheeks redder than it already was, if it was even possible. For some reason, seeing Elsa had made her forget the anxiety from the week, and disappointment from earlier that day. Heck, she even forgot about El while waiting for Elsa to finish bathing.

Head turned to her plate and eyes glued to the food, Anna began wolfing down the meal before her with a hunger she could only describe as disturbing.


	5. Chapter 5 - Confusion

The rest of lunch went by rather quickly, and to Anna's delight, the weather cleared up as well.

"ELSA! Let's go riding!" she said as she got up from her seat and walked towards the older girl.

"Anna, I can't go riding in this dress, and as much as it would please me to change, I didn't bring a change of clothes with me," Elsa replied, an apologetic smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Nonsense."

The two princess turned to the queen at her word.

"Elsa, dear. You've barely visited in the past few years, and it's not your fault. However, since you are, finally, here, it's only right that you spend as much time with Anna as possible. The poor girl has been nagging me for the last _three_ months, begging to see you," she said calmly, as if Elsa was her niece rather than a princess of another country.

"Mother!" Anna's cheeks brightened with the blush that she thought had finally gone away, this time creeping back from embarrassment.

"I didn't beg her... _that_ much," she tried to explain, though it was clearly not working as her voice trailed off almost inaudibly towards the end and Elsa simply giggled with a hand over her mouth.

"It's quite alright, dear. You can borrow some of my old riding breeches. Anna's are much too short for you," the queen stated as if it was only natural for someone to just borrow her things.

"Your Majesty, I couldn't-" Elsa began before a hand in the air silenced her.

"I won't hear it, Elsa," the queen said before looking at the head maid.

"Ingrid, please bring Elsa my old riding breeches. It should still be in my closet."

Ingrid was thin for such an old maid, but her experience and surprising strength made her much more qualified than others for her position. With a silent nod, the elderly woman disappeared behind the doors.

"So, you'll go riding with me?" Anna asked, mainly just for reassurance though her mother took care of that quite nicely.

"Of course," the blonde replied, joy twinkling in her eyes so obviously that Anna couldn't help but smile back.

Elated, Anna grabbed the blonde by the wrist and began pulling her out of the dining room.

"We'll be upstairs!" she called back to her mother, ignoring the older princess's plea to slow down.

They could hear a faint chuckle from the queen as they reached the stairs, with Anna leading her elder up the steps and towards her bedroom.

Fortunately, Ingrid also seemed to be fast on her feet. The queen's riding breeches were already laid out on Anna's bed, though the size of the breeches did make Anna wonder how her mother used to fit in such thin clothes. While the queen wasn't chubby and most certainly not fat, the breeches made it seem like she was anorexic in the past. And Elsa. How did her mother ever expect Elsa to fit in clothes that seemed to be made for a stick?

"Anna, it's fine. The material is stretchable and I'm sure it's only the age of the clothes that makes it look so small."

The redhead turned to the blonde, eyes wide in surprise.

"How...did you turn into a psychic while you were away?" she demanded.

"No, Anna. You were saying your thoughts out loud for the world to hear."

"Oh...oops..."

Anna tried to cover her embarrassment with a smile, only to realize that Elsa wasn't changing.

"So...Are you going to put them on?"

"Anna...I need you out of the room so I can change."

"Oh! Oh...um...sorry. I'll be just outside!"

If Anna's face wasn't red before, it was definitely the color of her hair by now. Why did she ever think Elsa would let her see her change? It was almost impossible. While it would've been acceptable as a child, Anna knew it wasn't going to happen, especially since they've outgrown that stage of their lives.

Time ticked away impossibly slowly and just as Anna was growing tired of the wait, the door opened, revealing Elsa who now wore her mother's old breeches instead of the magnificent dress she had on earlier. Anna, unfortunately, couldn't help but stare. Clearly Elsa had stretched the clothes out first to make sure they didn't actually shrink with age, but it almost seemed as if Elsa was even thinner than Anna had expected. The breeches were a nice fit, but still hung loosely off the blonde's hips. The clothes were a nice fit around the chest area, but was definitely loose around the waist. Yet the look was surprisingly good on the blonde. It almost made her look like this one prince in one of her old picture books. His hair was loose and so were his clothes, and her mother said it was because the prince cared too little about his looks and too much about the safety of the princess he wanted to save. It had been her favorite picture of all her fairy tale stories, and while she wanted to keep comparing Elsa to that prince, a cough from the elder princess pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Well?"

"Uh...i-it...it looks...a-amazing..." Anna trailed off, eyes still staring at Elsa's chest. While it certainly wasn't large, it still stood out considering it was the only part of her body where the clothes weren't too loose.

"Anna..."

"Yes?"

"My eyes are up here."

"RIGHT!"

Anna jerked her head up to meet Elsa in the eyes, but before she could get a good look at the look in the blonde's eyes, she quickly turned away and ran past her, shutting the door so that now Elsa's the one waiting outside and she's the one inside.

"I'll just change into my breeches and we can head out!" she said as she pulled open her closet, digging through the multitude of dresses to find her favorite breeches.

As much as she wanted to say the breeches were hers, they were actually her older brother's. At least, they were his before he went and got married and left to live who knows where. Anna pulled herself out of her thoughts, as she got dressed, her thoughts now going to where she wanted to go with Elsa. Her first thought was the tree she loved so much, and the thought immediately brought back El, the mysterious writer of those letters. Maybe she should tell Elsa. There was no way the blonde would tell the queen. Impossible, especially if Anna tells her not to. Silently, she opened the doors and there stood Elsa, her hands up in the air as if she was about to knock. Just as quickly, the blonde brought her hand down and smiled.

"Ready?"

"Born ready!"

Anna pulled Elsa by the arms as they hurried down the stairs and towards the outdoors where the stables were. Anna knew which horse she wanted, but gave Elsa a moment to pick one out. As much as she loved horses, Anna knew that Elsa could care less about the creatures. Anna knew which horses were fastest and which were strongest, but all Elsa saw were creatures she could ride, regardless of speed or strength. Luckily, Elsa wasn't too picky. The blonde had picked a black horse in the back and quickly climbed on, her feet gave the horse a light kick before bringing the creature next to Anna's so they were next to each other. It was only then that Anna realized how they matched, with clothes slightly too baggy to fit them. Of course, the thought procured a laugh from the redhead, which in turn earned a confused look from the blonde.

"Anna?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about how we match."

Anna turned her attention towards the field before looking at Elsa, not realizing that the blonde was trying her hardest not to create an obvious blush.

"Let's go," Elsa said as she urged her horse to trot forward, with Anna soon passing her and taking the lead.

Soon enough, they had reached the tree where Anna hid her secrets. Elsa knew, of course, but Anna knew Elsa would never tell. Anna tied the two horses to a low branch after they both dismounted, climbing the tree after Elsa soon after.

"You still keep your secrets here?" the elder princess teased as she settled on the branch slightly away from the trunk so Anna had a place to sit.

"Of course!" the redhead confirmed, chest pushed out in pride, which only brought another chuckle from the blonde.

They sat there in a comfortable silence for a while before Anna broke it, as she usually did.

"So...how have you been? My mother's clothes are too loose for you and I'm afraid it's not an issue with her size," Anna said, now taking another good look at the blonde's figure.

"I'm fine, really. There's no need to worry," Elsa replied simply, but Anna knew better. It was faint but there were bags under Elsa's eyes. They weren't obvious, but definitely there if you stare long enough.

"Anna?" Elsa raised an eyebrow at the redhead.

"You're too thin for your own good."

"I can take care of myself."

"That's not what your body's saying."

"And you know what my body needs?"

"Of course!"

"Do tell."

"FOOD!"

The sudden proclamation left Elsa speechless for a good three seconds before she began laughing. Not a quiet giggle or chuckle behind soft fingers. Not gentle laugh brought about simply with the up and down movement of shoulders. An actual laugh in which Elsa is holding her abdomen and hunching over because of it.

"What?! I'm serious!"

"I know, Anna, but I'm fine."

Anna gave the older princess a doubtful look before the blonde changed the subject.

"So how have you been? I see your mother has introduced you to quite a few suitors at the party."

The thought of suitors brought Anna back to the reason she wanted to talk to Elsa in the first place.

"RIGHT! There's actually something I need to show you!"

Anna's hands reached into her spot in the trunk and pulled out the box, opening it to reveal the letters.

"I got the first letter soon after the party ended, and the second one the day after. There was no name, no signature, no seal...absolutely NOTHING to show who it was from!" the redhead exclaimed in frustration. "I just wish he'd at least say his name..."

Anna turned her head to look at Elsa.

" _H...he_?"

Elsa's face was nothing short of shock. It was as if she was still trying to process Anna's words, except her mind was stuck at "he".

"Um...yeah... _he_...Why?"

"Nothing! Nothing..." Elsa's voice trailed off. Something was definitely wrong.

"Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"The guy who wrote these letters...I want to know who he is. I'm sure he's a dazzling prince and handsome at that. I mean, I was literally blushing just reading these even though all it says is a promise of meeting soon...do you know who wrote these?"

Anna handed the letters to Elsa, who's face only pales as she reads them.

"I'm...I..."

"Elsa?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"No, Anna. I don't know which _prince_ wrote these letters."

"Oh..."

The disappointment was clear in Anna's voice, though it was also deliberate. She wanted the older princess to tell her which prince wrote these letters. She just had to know and she was hoping the disappointment would help her make the blonde tell her.

"Anna..."

"Yes?" Anna replied, her voice almost elated that her disappointment worked.

"I honestly don't know which _prince_ wrote them."

"Oh..."

The redhead sighed. There goes another hope of finding her prince charming. She was really hoping Elsa would be able to tell her. It was fine if she didn't know, but why did the older princess keep stressing the word _prince_?

Before she could continue that thought, the sun was almost gone and Anna realized it was time to head back.

"Anyways! Let's go back before we dinner gets cold!"

Anna jumped off the branch and landed smoothly on her feet, stretching her back before turning to Elsa, who still hadn't come down.

"Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"You coming?"

"Yeah."

Slowly, Elsa began her climb down, but her pace was so slow that Anna took things into her own hands. Without suspicion, she reached her arms up and wrapped them around the blonde, only to pull backwards. A scream erupted from the lungs of the older princess just as Anna fell backwards, pulling her elder with her.

"ANNA!" Elsa screamed, scrambling to her feet to glare at the redhead.

"Yes?" Anna looked up at the blonde with the most innocent face she could pull off.

As Elsa raised her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose and shake her head, a grin made its way onto Anna's face, so wide it stretched from ear to ear.

"Take that!" she yelled as she grabbed Elsa by the wrist and jumped, pushing the older princess onto her back before Anna scrambled off and climbed on her horse.

"Race ya!" she called back the moment she freed her horse from the branch it was tied to, quickly galloping its way back home. She couldn't hear what Elsa was screaming, but it wasn't long before she heard the sound of the blonde's horse trying its hardest to catch up. Unfortunately, Anna's horse was much faster and the distance between them only increased. Laughing, Anna pushed her horse to go faster until they reached the stables, with Anna quickly dismounting and a look of pride creeping across her face.

"Anna, that was very childish of you!" Elsa scolded, coming to a halt before dismounting.

"Maybe, but it was fun~"

Elsa simply shook her head and headed inside the estate, only to have Anna pull her into a hug from behind.

"Sorry Elsa."

Silence greeted Anna's apology and the redhead only felt worse.

"I'm really... _really_ sorry..." she muttered, her face now buried in the back of Elsa's neck. Luckily, the blonde submitted soon enough.

"I forgive you," she whispered gently, turning in Anna's arms to embrace the younger princess.

A smile tugged at Anna's lips as she held onto Elsa tighter.

"Come. We're late for dinner as is," Elsa smiled back, pulling away to lead Anna toward the dining room.

* * *

 **A/N: Phew! This one is longer than I had expected, and certainly exceeded my other chapters in length. I tried to keep it as straight to the point as possible, probably because it's the type of person I am, lol. That and I'm not good at making things go round and round in circles without end. I'm still trying to follow the general outline of the story I had set for myself, but...I don't know...this world has a lot of temptations and they are very hard to resist. Anyways, all reviews are welcome and I apologize for any poor grammar. None of my work have been beta'd and I can only see so much of my own mistakes. Anyways, thank you all for your reviews, and for those who are somewhat confused about why Anna couldn't figure out it was Elsa, keep in mind that when she was first introduced to Hans, there were a lot of other people there as well (cuz it's supposed to be a party where she gets introduced to every possible suitor). Why doesn't Elsa just say it's her? Well...because there's no fun in that :D**


	6. Chapter 6 - Roles to Play

"I still think Prince Hans would be good for you."

"Mother, I...I just...I don't know anymore."

The queen stared at her daughter, eyes full of concern.

"Sweetie, you're going to have to choose. We've already delayed introducing suitors at your insistence, but people are expecting you to choose. At the very least you've got to have some favorites among those introduced?"

"Not really..."

"It's been a week since Elsa visited and all you've done is sit in your room and mope all day. You've got three pages of suitors who have stayed in nearby estates just begging for your attention. There's a pile of letters asking for your presence, all of which you've either rejected promptly or left unanswered. Where's the girl that was jumping over walls just weeks ago at the thought of finding the perfect prince?"

Anna looked up at her mother, lying on her stomach in bed.

"Not here?"

"Anna..."

"I know, sorry. I've just...been thinking."

"That's not good..."

" _MOTHER_!"

The queen walked over and sat on the bed, placing a hand on Anna's back.

"I won't pressure you to choose, but the people are eager to know who their precious princess wants as consort."

Anna glared at her mother from the corner of her eye. _Yeah...no pressure_.

With a disappointed sigh, the queen got up and walked towards the door.

"You've got two and a half months until the season proper for courting is over. Please try to reach a decision by the end."

Once the door closed with a click, Anna turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She's got two and a half months to find the man who wrote the letters. Two and a half months to decide if she even wants to marry at all. Two and a half months to find out everything there is to know about Prince Hans... _Dreamy Hans...so Hans-ome..._

The thought of Hans and his beautiful eyes sent a giggle through her mouth as her lips curled into a smile.

* * *

It may be a rash decision. It may be a bad decision. After all, it was a decision made in the middle of the day by a princess known to make bad decisions as a result of the temporary delirium brought on by the realization of the pressure that was dumped upon her for the season. Nevertheless, the decision was made and the order was carried out an hour ago. Tomorrow, Hans will visit, and he will continue to visit daily. Anna had written him a letter, asking for his presence at her estate, so she may enjoy his company once more. Why? Because Anna knew the chance of actually finding her letter prince was pretty much zero, and the only suitor she enjoyed the company of so far was Hans. Therefore, why not?

 _Knock knock_...

"Yes?"

"Anna, it's me, Elsa."

Anna snapped her eyes open. _Elsa! What is she doing here?!_

"Uh...hold on!" Anna shouted at the door as she slipped out of the bed, and unfortunately her clumsiness had come back despite her efforts to keep it at bay for the last few months. With a thud, she found her ankles tangled within the sheets, pillows now thrown about the bed and the floor, and a throbbing pain lingering about the back of her head.

" _ANNA?!_ " Elsa screamed from beyond the door.

Even from her position on the floor, Anna could tell that Elsa was trying to get inside, her gloved hands now pounding on the door.

 _For me..._

Anna allowed that thought to linger in her mind before she snapped back to reality. _What?!_

 _She's pounding the door, trying to get inside... **for me**._

Anna had no idea where that thought came from, but like the pain in her head, it wasn't going away. Shaking her head rigorously, she scrambled to get on her feet.

"I'm okay!" she shouted, hopefully calming the blonde. Unfortunately, her clumsiness has come back with vengeance. The moment the redhead took a step, the sheets under her feet slid across the floor, causing the princess to tumble face first towards the ground. Luckily, she was angled so that by the time she hit the ground, her forehead suffered most of the damage, rather than her nose. That would have left a very unpleasant mess and the last thing she needed was Elsa shouting bloody murder for help.

Elsa either didn't register Anna's shout earlier or had heard the second fall. Either way, the pounding on the door had become frantic.

 _She's worried... **for me**..._

 _Shut up, brain..._

Anna pulled herself together, palm cradling...or well...holding the injury on her forehead as she made her way to the door and opened it, causing a very anxious blonde to topple into the room and onto Anna, forcing the redhead onto the floor for the third time.

"ELSA! Get o-"

Before Anna could finish yelling at the blonde, her voice had trailed off the moment she saw her face. The bright blue eyes that had always watched her were now blurred by tears. The pale skin across her cheeks were brightened, almost as if someone slapped her hard on both sides.

"Elsa?"

Anna watched as the blonde held onto the back of her dress, crumbling it in a grip so tight the dress may as well tear under her fingers. The shoulders that Anna used to hold onto whenever Elsa gave her a piggy back ride as children were now shaking with sobs that echoed through the empty halls.

"Ah... _Anna..._ " she sobbed.

 _She's crying... **for me**..._

 _Seriously! Brain! Shut up!_

Anna raised one hand and placed it on the back of Elsa's head, gently stroking her head through her now messy hair while her other hand made its way to her back, just between the shoulders.

"Shh...It's _okay_ , Elsa. _I'm_ okay..."

Anna let her hand that rested on Elsa's back begin to stroke her in circular motions, much like the way Elsa used to do for her when they were younger. It had always helped calm the redhead. There was no reason why it wouldn't calm the blonde.

After seemingly hours, which might have been no more than ten minutes, Elsa's sobs died down. The grip on Anna's dress was gone, with Elsa's hands now flat against the redhead's back. They've both shifted enough for Anna to sit up, now cradling Elsa in her arms as the blonde snuggled her face against Anna's neck. It was a comfortable position, though their roles were reversed as children. It was ironic how much they've changed.

"Elsa?" Anna looked down at the princess in her arms.

 _My princess_...

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

Anna stared at Elsa. The thought was familiar. She had called Elsa her princess before, but it was more of a role she placed Elsa in as children, especially when they played. Anna was the knight, a stable boy would act as the evil master of the tower where the princess was locked away. Those were the fun times, before Anna was forced to learn the etiquette of a proper princess, and much before Anna accepted herself as the princess rather than the knight. It was strange, how she thought back to those memories now that Elsa was in her arms. She hadn't thought of those times in a while. Almost like a dark part of history people forget because they were told it wasn't worth remembering.

"Elsa, I'm okay...look at me." Anna lifted her hand from Elsa's back and cupped her cheek with it. Looking directly into Elsa's eyes, she said, " _I'm okay_. There's nothing to worry about."

As if she were touching something fragile, Elsa raised a gloved hand and traced the side of Anna's face before placing her thumb on her forehead. "Does it hurt?"

Anna tilted her head in confusion as Elsa sat up from her arms and held the redhead's face in her hands. "Your head. Does it hurt? It's red..."

Anna's brows came together, still confused before she realized what Elsa was talking about. She did hit her head earlier. It did hurt. It doesn't anymore.

"No...it doesn't hurt anymore," she said, trying to give Elsa the most sincere smile she could muster, mainly because she's still lying...sorta. Her forehead didn't hurt anymore, but the back of her head was still throbbing. Anna was more surprised she wasn't unconscious yet. She fell three times in a short period of time, suffering a head injury each and every time.

Of course, Elsa's stare tells her the blonde didn't believe her. "Elsa, I'm fine!" Anna insisted, placing her forehead against Elsa's. "It's no big deal. I mean, I _am_ the girl who trips over air, right?"

That sent a giggle through both girls, though Elsa tried to cover hers behind her hands while Anna just let the laughter roll off her tongue. Still, Anna couldn't help but notice Elsa's eyes were still red, mainly from crying earlier.

 _She cried **for me**._

 _..._

 _I never want her to cry again._

 _No shit._

 _I want to be her prince..._

 _Yeah...wait WHAT?!_

 _..._

 _I...I can't! I can't be a prince! I mean, me? Clumsy old me? I mean, yeah, okay, I've wanted to be a knight since I was a kid, but prince? And besides, I gave up on those dreams a long time ago! I'm a princess! I live to...to..._

 _To marry your prince charming and ride off into the sunset._

 _Yeah...that's be nice..._

 _Yup, till you start popping out babies once a year._

 _Shut up._

Anna stared blankly into space, and it was only a snap in front of her face that brought her back to reality.

"Anna?"

"I'm okay!" the redhead shouted as she scrambled to her feet, about to walk out only to realize Elsa was still on the ground behind her.

"Anna...did you really need to shout?" Elsa was now covering her ears with her hands, as if still trying to recover from a shock.

"Sorry...Anyways, did you need something?"

"Actually, I just came to check up on you. Your mother said you refused to go outside?"

"I..."

"Is this about the guy that wrote you those letters?"

Anna felt her face heat up almost immediately. "L-letters guy? N-No way!I-I h-have no idea w-what you're talking about!"

"Anna?"

"Fine. Yes, it's the letters guy. I just...really need to know who wrote them!"

Anna watched as Elsa got up, but as much as she wanted to ask Elsa to help her look, she couldn't bring herself to look the blonde in the eye.

"A-Anna, I um...I"

"It's okay, Elsa. I know you don't know who wrote them...I just...can't get the letters out of my head..."

Anna flinched as she felt a cool hand rest against her cheeks. It was comforting. Slowly, she lifted her face to look at Elsa.

"Anna...I do know who wrote them...but I can assure you it wasn't a prince."

"What do you mean, not a prince? I mean, who else can have such beautiful handwriting? And..."

 _Wait...She knows?_

"What do you mean you _know_ who wrote them? You said it yourself that you didn't know!" Anna was now glaring at the blonde, unable to see the guilt in those blue eyes.

"I said, and I quote, ' _I don't know which_ _ **prince**_ _wrote them._ '"

Anna was still glaring. "Why are you emphasizing the word _prince_?" she demanded.

"Because, Anna...I wrote them."

 _Elsa. Letters. Wrote...wait what?!_

"What do you mean you _wrote_ them?"

"Anna, I wrote those letters. The first was an apology, for leaving suddenly when I first came to visit. The second was to let you know that I'm going to be nearby for a while..."

Anna felt her face burn.

 _Elsa wrote those letters...Elsa... **for me**_ _..._

Anna felt embarrassed. _How could I have thought those letters had anything romantic in them?!_ Thinking back on it, the letters never actually said anything related to romance nor did it say anything regarding courtship.

"So...you...w-wrote..."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I thought those letters were... _romantic_ in nature...I don't...I didn't know _you_ wrote them..."

Anna waited for Elsa to scold her again for jumping to conclusions. However, the blonde remained silent. Both princesses were now staring at the floor.

"Why didn't you sign them?" Anna asked, lifting her head to look at Elsa.

"B-Because...I...I assumed you'd recognize my handwriting. I know it's been a while since my last letter but..."

Of course, Anna never thought about it. The handwriting should've been familiar. But it wasn't. It was too structured. Too perfect. Too...royal...

 _Just like Elsa_.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have assumed you'd recognize my writing..."

"No...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions..."

The two remained in silence for a little longer, not sure what to say anymore. Anna could see that Elsa's face was flushed, but surely it was because of her mistake. Anna's own face was flushed and it was from embarrassment. The misunderstanding between them only served to make the awkward atmosphere heavier. It was...weird.

"Princess Anna, Princess Elsa..."

Both girls turned immediately towards the maid that now stood outside the doors.

"Y-yes?" Anna asked, hoping the maid wouldn't ask too many questions.

"The queen has requested your presence at the dining hall for lunch, Your Highnesses," the maid said with a curtsy.

"Of course. We'll be right there," Elsa replied, with a tone that could only remind Anna of their status as royalty.

 _Knights...Hah! I'll never be a knight. I'll never be anything more than royalty..._

Anna thought back to her tutors. They had done such a thorough job with her that she'd forgotten her childhood dream. It was time to leave those foolish ideas behind and play her role in the world.

"We'll be right there," Anna said before the maid curtsied again and left. She turned to look at Elsa, then down at her hand. She wanted to hold them, like when they were kids. But...was it proper?

Before she could think too deeply into it, Elsa took her hand in hers and began to pull them towards the dining hall.

"Let's go. I'm sure you're hungry," the blonde said, not looking back at the redhead as she pulled them along.

"Yeah..." Anna replied, her voice now soft to the point where she wasn't sure if the blonde could even hear her. However, her eyes continued to gaze at the back of Elsa's head. Her hair was still messy, but even so it looked fabulous as always. It gave her an aura of strength, if that made any sense at all. For a moment, the blonde looked more like a prince than a princess.

 _I don't care if I can't be a knight. If Elsa's the prince, I don't mind being a princess forever..._

Anna let the thought flow, ignoring the little screaming voice in her head that said it was all wrong. After all, they were friends, and there's nothing wrong with looking up to a friend. Yes, that's all they are. _Friends_.

* * *

 **A/N: So apparently author's notes are supposed to be at the bottom? (did not know that)**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know I don't actually talk to you readers but I'm sure you're all dying for the Elsanna ship to develop into something more solid. Even I'm starting to get annoyed with the storyline cuz it's sooooooo slow. To be honest, I had a whole plan for this story, where Anna gets the letters, believe they're from Hans, break Elsa's heart, etc etc. But, as you can see, that script just went out the window. Therefore, I'm going to be winging the rest of the story, if you haven't noticed already. I know some of you may be wondering where Hans and Kristoff comes into the story, cuz so far, Hans has been backdrop and Kristoff is nowhere to be seen. It's okay, boys. You'll get your turn. Just...not yet. And don't worry. I won't focus too much on Hans or Kristoff (sorry boys), because despite the angst they bring, Elsa is more important and we all know it.**

 **As for those of you who left a review, thank you soooo much! They really make me feel a little more loved and they're one of the main reasons I'm doing my best to make this story good (I'm not a good writer unfortunately. I like math, not English. Sue me.) So, yeah, keep the reviews coming cuz I do read each and every one of them, sometimes even twice :D**


	7. Chapter 7 - Hans

"Anna, dear! Prince Hans is here!"

Anna perked at the mention of Hans. _He's here!_ Getting off the chair she was standing on, Anna rushed out of her bedroom and towards the front door where Hans was waiting.

"Your Highness," he bowed as Anna made her way down the steps.

"Please, Prince Hans. Just call me Anna."

"Then you may drop the 'Prince', _Anna_."

"Of course, _Hans,_ " Anna chuckled as she stopped right in front of the man. As usual, her mother already left, mostly to give her daughter some... _privacy._

"Um...if I may ask, why are you dressed like... _that_?"

Anna turned to look at Hans, then looked back down at her own clothes. She was wearing her breeches.

"Oh...I just...I thought it'd be nice if we could go riding today. It's been a while since I last rode a horse and I could use the exercise," she said, putting on the best smile she could. "Would you care to join me?"

"It would be my pleasure," Hans said, curling his arm for Anna to take as he led them towards the stables.

Despite the smile he puts on, Anna could tell that he didn't really like horses. Or to be more exact, Hans seemed to be the kind of man who only saw horses as dull creatures rather than the majestic beasts they truly are.

 _I'm sure I can still manage to like him..._

Anna got on a brown thoroughbred, which, while not the largest horse in the stables, was definitely one of the fastest.

Without giving Hans much of a heads up, Anna sped past him, shouting "Race ya!" as she led her horse through the field behind her estate. Hans, naturally, followed behind but Anna could see his horse had trouble catching up. What Anna didn't see, was a certain platinum blonde standing by the estate, with full view of Anna's race with Hans. What Anna most certainly didn't see, was the twitch in Elsa's fingers as Hans desperately tried to catch up with the redhead. What Anna _did_ see, or rather, _heard_ was Hans screaming for dear life.

Bringing her horse to a sudden stop, Anna quickly turned the creature around to see what happened. If Hans had fallen off his horse, he'd be in better condition than he is now. While the man was definitely no longer on the horse's back, he was certainly not entirely on the ground either. One foot was stuck in the stirrup, while the other pointed upwards into the air. Hans was dangling dangerously off the side of his horse; he curled into himself, in an attempt to climb up his own leg to return to his saddle. Every attempt to get up was failing miserably, and to top it off, his horse seemed unaware of his master's danger. Instead, the creature continued to run in a frenzy, dragging Hans across the ground, with highly unpleasant effects judging by the man's screams for help and his mother.

Anna quickly pulled herself above her shock and sped towards the the other horse, making a large loop around so she was riding side by side with the frenzied creature. Leaning over, Anna took hold of the horse's reins and with all her might, pulled on the reins of both horses, effectively bringing them to a complete stop. Anna dismounted and inspected the prince's horse, hoping to find whatever it is that sent the creature into its crazed madness. She noticed several scars on the horse, either from battle or from harsh treatment. Hopefully it was the former. The right stirrup was missing; the leather above the missing stirrup was torn. Slowly, she walked to the other side to see if Hans was okay. His head, along with his shoulders, were on the ground and there were several cuts on his face. Somehow, she couldn't feel sorry for him, as much as she wanted to.

"My apologies, Anna. I don't know what got into the damned creature, running like that..."

"It's okay," she replied, tempted to simply burst out laughing at the sight of the man, but managed to hide her amusement behind her hands and a small giggle. "Let's head back to the stables so Kristoff can get you a proper saddle, and hopefully figure out what happened to your horse."

"Kristoff?"

"A stable boy...at least that's what he's hired to be. He has a way with animals though and he's really good at taking care of them," Anna chirped before finally helping Hans out of the stirrup his foot was still in.

"Thank you," he said as he scrambled to his feet, eyes on the ground and face red with embarrassment. With a swipe of her hands, she handed him the reins to his horse before taking her own in her hands, leading them back towards the stables.

"So...I guess this makes one of the most embarrassing moments for you, huh?" Anna asked, still trying not to laugh. Han's face made it hard, with all the dirt that was now plastered over his face. The grass that stuck out of his hair made him look a bit like Kristoff; no one would've guessed he was a prince if they saw him now.

"I don't mind embarrassing, so long as I get to share it with you," Hans replied, giving Anna one of his oh-so-charming smiles before looking forward, leaving Anna to look down at the ground again with her face glowing with a blush.

"Anna!"

The redhead looked up to see Kristoff, waving at her from the stables with a massive reindeer behind him.

"Reindeer?" Hans asked, one brow raised at the sight.

"Yeah. Kristoff's best friend, Sven. Wouldn't leave Kristoff's side when they first came here. Seeing as Kristoff's really good with the horses, we figured it wouldn't hurt to let him keep Sven around," Anna replied, laughing as she remembered the nights when she'd sneak to the stables to listen to Kristoff talk to the reindeer, inserting dialogue for the creature.

"Hey Kristoff," Anna greeted as they came closer to the stables. "Hello, Sven."

Kristoff took the reins from Anna's hands and led her horse inside while Anna scratched the top of Sven's head, earning a delightful sound from the reindeer. She never did figure out how Sven did it. Despite being a reindeer, he was faster than the horses and could run for much longer. She had wanted to enter Sven into some of the smaller horse races in the capital but every time her parents managed to stop her, claiming horse races are for horses, not reindeer.

Eventually, the blonde stableboy came back and took Hans' reins as well. "Kristoff."

"Yes, your highness?"

"Can you get Hans another saddle? His broke while riding. Also give the horse a checkup please. He went a little cray cray earlier."

"Yeah, I saw that. Wasn't hard to miss, with the screams for help and mom."

"Kristoff, be nice." Anna slapped the blonde across his forearm, just before he pulled her aside and whispered.

"Anna, I don't like him. He's not a good guy."

"And you'd know because?"

"Gut feelings." Kristoff stood tall at his own statement, chest puffed out in pride.

"Pft. Then I believe your _gut feelings_ are wrong. Hans is a great guy," Anna retorted, folding her arms and defense.

"Anna you hardly know him."

"Yes I do!"

"Oh yeah? What's his last name?"

Anna shook her head at the question. What could be more obvious?

"Of-the-Southern-Isles?"

"Favorite food?"

"Sandwiches."

"Best friend's name?"

"Probably John."

"Eye color?"

"Dreamy."

"Foot size?"

"Foot size doesn't matter."

"Have you-"

"Ahem!"

Kristoff and Anna turned to look at Hans.

"Excuse me, but, I'd really like to go inside and change out of these... _clothes_ ," Hans said, shooting Anna another one of his charming smiles, leaving Anna to swoon inside.

"Of course! Kristoff, go do your job."

"As you command, _your highness_."

Anna led Hans back inside the estate as Kristoff went to fetch a new saddle for Hans's horse.

Once inside, Anna called for a servant nearby to direct Hans to one of the guest chambers, and fetch him some clean clothes. While the prince went with the servant, Anna wandered through the building to see if her mother was still around. She wanted to ask if Hans could stay for dinner. Luckily, her mother's voice ringing through the halls leading to the courtyard told her exactly where to go.

"Hey, mother, can Hans-" Anna's voice died as platinum blonde hair came into view. Instead of the usual bun or braid they're in, those beautiful locks were flowing freely down across slender shoulders. Slowly, the woman before her turned to look her in the eye; teal met blue and Anna could only stare idiotically at the beauty before her known as Elsa.

"Hello, Anna."

The redhead could never get enough of that voice. It was angelic. Slowly, she let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"H-hi Elsa..."

"Do you need something?"

Anna turned her attention back to her mother, trying to remember what she had came for. "Oh, yeah! Can Hans stay for dinner? He kind of fell off his horse while riding. One of the servants is getting him fresh clothes and it's getting late, so I figured it'd be a good idea if he stayed for dinner before he went home."

"Of course he can stay, dear. In fact, why don't you invite him to stay for the night?"

Anna and Elsa both turned and stared at the queen in surprise. "M-Mother! That's hardly appropriate! I mean...we _just_ met!"

"But from what I hear, you've already claimed to know him _quite well_ ," the queen replied, not looking at her daughter but rather at the roses in the bush nearby.

Anna's face grew hotter by the second. _Was she eavesdropping on me and Kristoff? Then again, I wouldn't put it past her..._

"Your majesty, your highness," a charming voice called from behind. _Hans_.

Anna turned around immediately, a smile beaming on her face but unfortunately it did nothing to hide her blush.

"Hey, um...do you...may you...would you like to stay for dinner?" Anna asked, trying to look away from the charming face in front of her.

"I'd love to, your highness," Hans replied, giving her another smile that sent her swooning once again.

"Prince Hans," the queen called. "It will be pretty late by the end of dinner and I believe you are in no condition to ride back to your estate. From what I've heard, you've had quite the fall from your horse. Please, stay the night. I insist."

Anna turned to glare at her mother, who remained unfazed. _Is that...a smirk?_

Anna swallowed, then turned to Elsa, only to regret looking at the blonde. Ice cold eyes glared at the prince, and despite the neutral face she put on, Anna could tell the blonde is pissed. Beyond pissed, actually. Anna had never seen her look so coldly at anyone. Sure, she's given the cold shoulder to a lot of people, but never had her eyes gone so cold to the point they seemed to burn, like they did now.

"Elsa!" The blonde turned to look at the redhead, her eyes softening almost immediately.

"Yes?"

"Um...would you like to stay for dinner as well? Like mother said, it's getting pretty late and we still have a lot to catch up on. I mean, only if you want to, I don't want to force you to stay for dinner or anything. Of course, I'd love it if you did, and even more if you'd stay the night. Are you staying the night? It's getting dark and I don't want you to go back when it's so dark out. Again, I don't want to force you or anything but I'd love it if you'd stay-"

"Anna."

The redhead turned to face her mother.

"You're rambling," the queen said, her face clearly not amused.

"I didn't know you ramble," Hans remarked, one eyebrow raised.

"I...I don't...it's an old habit...thought it was gone by now, but then again, old habits die hard, you know. I thought I was doing such a good job too, I mean I haven't rambled in a long, long while now and I honestly didn't expect myself to ramble now of all times and-" Anna brought a hand to her mouth, sealing it shut. "I'm rambling again, aren't I?" she muttered, trying not to look at her mother. Her parents had spent so much time trying to groom her into the perfect lady. Sure, it took years but they did succeed...or at least Anna thought they did. Until now.

"I'd love to stay for dinner and the night, Anna," Elsa said, her eyes now so soft and beautiful Anna felt like she could get lost in them for good.

"Well, if that's the case, then let's get Prince Hans and Princess Elsa settled into the guest rooms. Anna, you should change as well into something more...appropriate for dinner," the queen said as she got up, leaving the three royals in the courtyard in an awkward silence.

"So...let's go?" Anna was the first to speak, trying to ignore the glares Elsa was throwing at Hans, who spent the entire time ignoring the other princess and smiling at Anna.

Silently, Anna led them to their respective guest rooms before going to her own room to change out of her breeches.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay so I'm sorry if this came out a bit too late for your liking, but I'll make it up to you, promise. Also, a bit late to ask, maybe, but should I change the rating from T to M? I want to keep it light and fluffy but I kind of want to heat it up (romance wise) for you wonderful readers.**

 **Also, S/O to Jahaira for giving me the idea of throwing Hans off the horse. Is it because of Elsa, or is it because we all dislike him so much? I wonder. At least he didn't fall into horse dung as Jahaira suggested. I don't want to ruin him that much just yet.**

 **Also, I'm getting a brand new computer next week so my next update might be a bit slow as well, cuz I'd be...well, busy ogling my new computer lol~ Whoever says computers aren't sexy clearly haven't seen the one I bought.  
**

 **Anyways, keep the reviews coming cuz I'm loving each and every one of them. I think Anna is rubbing off on me, lol. I'm beginning to ramble. Happy reading, my dear lovelies and I will (hopefully) update soon.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Past (rewritten)

_"What are we going to do?"_

 _Anna stood outside her parents' bedroom, or to be more exact the King's bedroom. Her mother had her own but they preferred to sleep in the King's room._

 _"Anna spends her days dreaming of being a knight. That's_ not _what a princess should be doing!" the queen's voice echoed. The king remained silent and Anna kept herself hidden._

 _"I know, honey. I know. It's just...her dreams make her so_ happy _. I feel it would be a sin to take it away from her," the king said, his voice barely above a whisper._

 _"That doesn't change the fact that she's a_ princess _._ _One day she'll have to marry a prince and I don't think any prince would want a princess who runs around in pants, much less a princess who dreams of becoming a knight."_

 _Anna could hear the king sigh as her hands rolled into a fist. She didn't want to marry a prince for the sake of marrying a prince. She wanted love._

 _"I'll see if I can talk-"_

 _"We already tried that! We've talked to her, forced her to sit down for etiquette lessons, and look where it got us! Anna has learned to escape all her classes, probably memorized all the tunnels in this castle by now, and runs out the door whenever we try to talk to her again about her responsibilities!"_

 _"Then what do you suggest we do?"_

 _"I don't_ know _. I...to be honest, I think we should send her to a more remote location, where we can properly sit her down for her classes without worrying about her escaping them."_

 _"I don't think that's a good idea. You know how much Anna values her freedom."_

 _Anna couldn't keep listening. Taking a deep breath, she pushed through the doors of her parent's bedroom and walked in._

 _"Anna?!" the king looked at her in surprise._

 _"How much...how much did you hear?" the queen asked, her face full of concern, whether for Anna or for herself._

 _"Everything. I'm not going to let you send me away!" the redhead said, nails digging into her palms._

 _"Then what do you think we should do? You don't attend to your classes; you run out the door whenever we try to talk you out of being anything but a princess; you sneak out whenever you think we aren't looking to go wrestle with some of the stable boys; and to make matters worse, yes, we do know about your morning rides to Sir Lynol, and yes, we have given him a royal decree to stop teaching you how to fight!" the queen said, her face now clearly showing desperation._

 _"Anna, sweetheart, we only want what's best for you," the king said, walking closer to the girl in an attempt to hug her, only for Anna to back away._

 _"Anna..."_

 _"Let's make a deal," Anna said, letting go of her fists as she stared directly into her father's eyes._

 _"What is it?"_

 _"I'll go to the stupid classes. I'll stop trying to be a knight. I'll be the perfect princess."_

 _The queen's face lit up, as if she just saw a miracle. The king's lit up as well, his lips curling into a smile._

 _"However!" Anna began, causing the two adults in the room to drop their smiles and faces of hope._

 _"I get to choose who I marry, and when I do, you two have no right to say 'no.'"_

 _"Anna-"_

 _"No, mother, let me finish. I'll do what you want, but I will choose who I marry, because I want to marry someone I love. I don't want to marry just_ any _prince. I want to marry_ the _prince, regardless of whether that prince is actually a prince or not," Anna said, "I'll appreciate your opinions when the time comes, but I make the final decision and once I decide for good, you cannot and will not try to change my mind. Those are my terms."_

 _"Anna, sweetheart-," the queen began, only to be cut off by the king._

 _"You have yourself a deal, my princess," he said, a smile spreading across his face._

 _"Good, now I want that in writing!" Anna said, causing the king and queen's face to stare at her in shock._

 _"W-writing?!" the king asked._

 _"Yes. I know you're going to try to wiggle your way out of this deal at some point, so I want it in writing so you can't change it. Ever."_

 _"Deal," the queen said before the king could say anything._

* * *

Anna eyed herself in the mirror. She now wore a casual green dress that, like all of her dresses, were far too tight around the waist. The woman she saw in the mirror wasn't who she wished she was. She saw a princess, one who plays the role of the damsel in distress.

 _Just for a bit more. Once I marry, I can be whoever I want. Then again, I think all these dresses are growing on me._

"What am I doing?" she muttered to herself, shaking her head with laugh. She didn't dislike the dresses. She actually liked them, but that didn't change how she wanted to see herself. She still wanted to be that knight in shining armor.

 _If Elsa was a knight, I'd gladly accept the role of damsel in distress._

Anna stared blankly at the mirror. _Where did that thought come from?_ She wondered as she finished fixing her hair. As much as she wanted to be a knight, she knew that she'd gladly accept the role of princess should Elsa ask her.

 _But what if Hans was the one asking me?_

That thought never left Anna's mind, especially because she knew she wouldn't do it. She felt that if Elsa asked her, she'd do anything. Hans...she was a bit more reluctant.

 _Knock knock_

Anna turned towards the door.

"Your highness, the queen is expecting you for dinner," a servant outside said.

"I'll be right there," the redhead called as she breathed, trying to not slip into old habits again. Slowly, as she calmed down, Anna made her way out of her room and down the stairs towards the dining room where her mother, Hans, and Elsa sat. The thought of seeing Elsa brought a smile to her lips. She could always count on the blonde to make her day.

* * *

Dinner went by rather smoothly, if not surprisingly silently. While Hans did try to talk to Anna, she couldn't help but keep silent. She had promised to be the perfect princess all those years ago, and she wasn't going to break her end of the deal. Elsa, on the other hand, seemed content with the silence. However, Anna knew better. Every once in a while, she'd notice Elsa staring at her with a worried look on her face, only to turn away and look neutral again whenever Anna looked back. Hans kept up a bit of small talk with the queen, leaving Anna to wonder if he liked his own voice. Especially since he kept talking when everyone else kept silent.

The queen was the first to excuse herself, retiring to her bedroom early for the night. Hans stayed behind to try and talk to Anna, who was too busy enjoying her chocolate truffles to absorb anything he said. Once he realized she wasn't paying attention to him, he excused himself as well, leaving Elsa and Anna alone in the dining room to eat the chocolates. It was great, since they both had a thing for the dessert.

"Elsa?" Anna finally said, looking at the blonde as she reached to grab another chocolate.

"Yes?" the blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"Right, um...why...why are you here?"

"I'm visiting."

"I know that, but...why now? I don't want to come off as rude or anything, but you haven't visited me once for the last ten years, and I was really lonely...and now that mother decided it was time I get introduced to suitors, you visit without any kind of warning. It's not that I don't want you here, 'cuz I really do. You have no idea how much I wanted to see you, and I would have visited Arendelle, but mother wouldn't let me leave Corona. And the letters...you, kind of stopped writing after the first three years..."

Anna looked down, biting her bottom lip. She missed Elsa. A lot.

"I'm sorry, Anna," Elsa began, but Anna wouldn't look at her.

"It's just...the last couple of years were hard for me. I...I can't talk about it. Not yet. But recently, I realized something else. Something that I needed to do or I wouldn't feel complete."

Anna blinked. Slowly, she lifted her head to look at Elsa, who was now getting up from her seat and walking over to the redhead. Anna stood up from her seat as Elsa approached, staring as the blonde stopped in front of her.

"Can we...can we talk about this somewhere else?" she asked, holding a hand out for Anna to take.

"O-of course!"

Anna eagerly took the blonde's hand, letting the older princess lead her out of the dining room and to the courtyard. The sun was already gone, replaced by a slowly rising moon. Once outside, Anna let Elsa lead them to a more remote area of the courtyard. Anna sat down on the bench that stood directly under a large tree, surrounded by dozens of rose bushes and other flora that she never bothered to learn. Anna liked that place, especially because unless you're standing right in front of them, you can't see them.

Elsa sat down next to Anna, breathing slowly. Anna knew better than to probe her so she sat there, waiting for the blonde to be ready.

"Anna...do you remember when we were kids? I was visiting you in your castle, and you thought it was a good idea to climb that ridiculously tall tree. I remember trying to persuade you not to for the entire day. And you listened, for once in your life," Elsa said, chuckling at the memory.

"But I didn't listen," Anna said, thinking back to the memory. "I wanted to play with you at night since I couldn't sleep, and thought it was a good idea to climb the tree with you, but you said to go away."

"Right, I did say that. After you went away, I got out of bed to follow you. Only, I got out of bed a bit too late. I saw you running out the back from the bedroom window and panicked."

"Really? I thought you got out of bed after you heard me screaming."

"No, I realized where you were going so I ran after you."

"Oh...but I did manage to climb the tree though."

"You only made it ten feet off the ground before you fell. Anna...to be honest, I...that moment when I saw you fall...that was the scariest moment of my life." Elsa turned to face Anna.

"Sorry about that," the redhead replied, face now red from embarrassment. She had gotten lucky, escaping with only a broken arm and a few bruises and scratches here and there.

"When you fell...that was when I noticed that I need you in my life, Anna." Elsa now looked down, just as Anna turned to face her.

"I...when I thought you were going to die, I...I felt like I was dying too. I...I should've stopped you from climbing that damned tree," the blonde continued, still not looking at the redhead in front of her.

"Elsa...what are you saying?"

"I noticed these...feelings when I thought back to that fall. I...I couldn't deal with it, you know? I just...couldn't. So I left."

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked again, her voice now strained with confusion and fear. "You left? I thought...wait...is that why you didn't visit? Were you feeling guilty about me falling?"

"Well, that was part of it, but it was more. I didn't visit again after you fell because I was really confused about these feelings inside. I couldn't...I couldn't trust myself to keep you safe when I didn't even know what's what."

"Elsa, what are you trying to tell me? You're not making any sense!"

"Anna...I-"

* * *

 **A/N: Okay yes, I rewrote this chapter, mainly cuz apparently the violence wasn't a good idea. (but hey, I wrote that at 3 am when I couldn't sleep and I was already up for more than 24 hours lol) And so, after a good 10 hour sleep, I've rewritten this chapter. I do hope it's better :/**


	9. Chapter 9 - Marriage

Anna stared at the ceiling above her bed, unable to physically function in any way. The back of her left hand rested on her forehead while her right hand rested on her stomach, rising and falling gently with each breath. The sun was rising and she couldn't sleep. All she could do was think about what happened.

 _"Anna...I-"_

 _"Your highness."_

 _Anna turned to see a servant standing on the path, head bowed._

 _"What?" she asked, her voice sounded much harsher than she intended. Then again, she didn't regret her tone, especially because she wanted to know so desperately what Elsa wanted to say. She_ needed _to know. For some reason, she had the feeling that whatever Elsa was about to tell her was going to make or break their friendship, and loosing Elsa is unthinkable. Just the idea of Elsa going away forever felt like a stake was being pushed into her heart, twisting it around so sickly it was better to just die._

 _"Prince Hans is requesting your presence for a stroll around the estate," the servant said, head still bowed._

 _Unfortunately, Hans was_ not _what Anna wanted right now. She needed Elsa to finish talking._

 _"Then I'd better retire for the night," Elsa said, standing up._

 _Anna turned to her, opening her mouth to tell her to stay. "Wa-"_

 _"Good night, Anna."_

Anna never managed to actually tell Elsa to stay. Her voice had gotten stuck in her throat halfway through. She had the servant go tell Hans that she's declining his invitation. She needed to think.

 _What was Elsa going to say to me?_

The thought had latched itself onto her mind and wouldn't go away. Anna had tried everything. She thought about rainbows and ponies and knights and kings and castles and dragons and magic. However, nothing she did could push Elsa out of her mind. It was fascinating, really, how the blonde seemed to have this control over her. And so, Anna let her mind roam.

 _Why did she talk about that time I fell?_

 _She said she was scared. That the thought of me dying made her feel like dying too._

 _She's just feeling guilty for not stopping me when she had the chance._

 _She said she needed me in her life._

 _Then why did she leave?_

 _Because she felt guilty, and she felt something else that confused her._

 _Like what? What can possibly confuse my best and only friend to leave me? Did I mean that little to her?_

 _Anna, Anna, Anna. You are dense._

 _Tell me the answer._

 _Can't. Only know what you know._

 _Then you know I don't know._

 _Yes, but I also know you do know, but you refuse to know. You are being ignorant._

 _You're my mind. You gotta stop talking to me cuz you're driving me nuts._

 _Good, cuz you don't need me to drive yourself crazy._

 _Shut up!_

Anna continued to stare at the ceiling. She needed to stop talking to herself. It was driving her insane, and yet it made sense. Everything she said to herself made sense, even if she didn't want it to. It just...did.

 _It can't be..._

Anna was pulled out of her trance by a knock on the door.

"Your highness, it's time to wake up. Prince Hans and Princess Elsa will be leaving after breakfast, and would like you to attend."

"I'm...I'm coming!" she called out as she got dressed, freshening up in the bathroom before rushing out the door and towards the dining room.

"Anna, it's unbecoming of a lady to run in her own home," the queen's voice called as Anna ran in.

"Sorry," she said, slowing down to a slow walk before sitting down in her seat, looking at both Hans and Elsa.

"Morning," she smiled.

"Good morning, Princess Anna," Hans said with a charming smile.

"Good morning, Anna," Elsa replied with a smile. While not as charming, it definitely brightened the redhead's day.

Anna sat down in her seat, before digging in. She needed to keep her old habits in check. She made a promise.

Luckily, breakfast went wonderfully well without any trouble. Hans and Elsa left the estate, both promising to visit again later in the day.

"Your highness," a servant called from behind. "Her Majesty is requesting your presence in the study."

"On my way," Anna sighed, not sure if she was in trouble or not. She could never tell. Not with her mother.

She made her way past the large wooden doors that led to the main study in the state. There were several other smaller ones, but this one was the largest, meant for her father. Seeing as her father's not here, her mother occupied it.

"Anna, sit," the queen said, gesturing her daughter to sit in one of the two chairs in front of the large desk.

"Yes, mother," Anna replied, obeying as she sat down and leaned back into the comfortable cushions.

"I've noticed you've been slipping back into your old habits, Anna," the queen said, not looking up from the paper she was reading.

"I'm sorry, mother."

"I expect you to be on top of it by the time Elsa and Hans return, am I clear?"

"Yes, mother."

"Good, now I want to hear your opinions on Hans and Elsa."

"Hans is...great? I don't know. I mean, he's charming, and I feel a connection between us, but I don't know what it is."

"And Elsa?"

"What about Elsa?"

"How would you like to marry Elsa?"

Anna froze. Marry Elsa?

"W-what do you mean _marry Elsa_?"

The queen looked up from her papers.

"King Ferdinand, Elsa's father, sent us a letter asking if you'd like to marry Elsa," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"B-But she's a girl?" Anna was shocked. Not at the idea of marrying Elsa, but at her own acceptance of it. Her mind was racing with thoughts, mainly of how life would be if she spent the rest of it with Elsa but at the same time, she was thinking of excuses not to marry her best friend. She was terribly afraid, not of Elsa, but of herself.

"And? It's not unheard of and your father seems to enjoy the idea of you marrying Elsa over Hans."

"Father is against Hans? Why?"

"Who knows. A father's intuition?"

"I thought only a woman's intuition was reliable," Anna sneered.

"Are you against it? Marrying Elsa, I mean."

"No! I'd love to marry Elsa!"

"Really?" the queen raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm not against the idea. It's just...Isn't Elsa the only child of Uncle Ferdinand and Aunt Cecile? Wouldn't she want an heir? I mean, I can't give her a baby! I'm a girl too!" Anna's shoulders slumped as the words came out of her mouth. If Elsa was male, she'd dive right into the marriage without a second thought, but Elsa deserved the best and who was she to deny her best friend a chance to have children of her own?

"Who knows? All I know is that Ferdinand wants you to give Elsa a chance to court you. Whether or not the two of you actually get married is a whole other issue. Just...Think about it, okay?"

"Yeah...I will," Anna smiled before getting out of her seat. She needed time to think. And talk. She needed to talk to Elsa. Isn't it every girl's dream to have children of their own? Anna shook her head. She couldn't take that away from Elsa. It's too cruel.

"Kristoff...yeah! I'll visit Kristoff! He just _has_ to know what to do!" she said to herself as she walked down the halls, stopping suddenly to speed her way out of the estate and towards the stables.

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I was going to keep writing but I thought this was a good place to press the pause button. That and I have a fever right now :(**

 **Some of you are probably dying on the inside because of the interruption but I'll make it up to you next chapter, I promise. Enjoy~ :D**


	10. Chapter 10 - Feelings Inside

Once outside, Anna found Kristoff with relative ease, seeing as the stable boy is always at the stables. Unfortunately, being in the stables meant certain hygiene deficiencies.

"Kristoff!" Anna called as she came up behind the man.

Kristoff looked around, as if to check for other workers around. Once he was sure they were alone, a smile spread across his goofy face. "Anna banana!" he cried, arms encircling the redhead and pulling her in for a hug.

"Hey big guy. As much as I like your hugs, I'd rather not go back inside smelling like the stables," Anna replied, pushing herself away.

"Of course, your _highness_ ," Kristoff said as he bowed.

"Anyways I need some help," Anna said, ignoring Kristoff's attempt to get under her skin.

"With?"

"Love."

"L- _love_?!" Kristoff's jaw dropped as he stared at the redhead. He shook himself from the shock and continued, "So who's the lucky man?"

"I'm not sure yet," Anna replied, looking out into the distance, "I'm not even sure if I'm in love yet."

"O-oh!" Kristoff muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"How do you know when you're in love?" she asked, not looking at him.

"W-well...when you think about this other...person, your heart skips a beat or two. When they say your name, you feel like the only person in the world and you are all that matters. You won't be able to stand the very thought of the other person being intimate with anyone other than you. I g-guess...the biggest hint is when you kiss the other person. If you're kissing just anyone on the lips, you'd feel nothing. Maybe a bit warm if it's someone you like, but it wouldn't compare to even _thinking_ about a kiss with the person you're in love with."

Anna turned around. "Wow...I didn't know you knew so much about it, Kristoff. _Who's the lucky girl?!_ " she asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

She watched as Kristoff's face turned red. "Figure it out," he muttered.

"Is it someone I know? Is it a girl? Is she pretty?" she asked, now eager to find out.

"Um...Maybe, yes, and definitely yes."

"Blonde? Brunette? Redhead?"

"Why don't you change into your riding briefs? Some of the horses look eager for a ride," Kristoff said, refusing to look Anna in the eye.

The redhead pouted. "Fine," she said, "But I will get it out of you!"

Anna quickly left the stables and back inside the estate to change. The moment she finished putting on her over-sized riding breeches and tunic, she opened the door to run, only to find herself crashing into a servant.

"My apologies, your highness," the servant said quickly as she got up, holding a hand out to help Anna.

"It's okay," Anna replied as she pulled herself up, "Did you need something?"

"Ah, yes. Her majesty says to inform you that Princess Elsa will be here soon."

"Really? Oh my god, maybe I should wear my better breeches, the ones that fit better...I-I'll be right back!"

Anna raced back inside her room and shut the door, changing out of her current breeches and into the new pair that she only wore once in a while. The over sized ones reminded her of her brother, which was why she kept wearing them. Anna checked herself in the mirror. Her breeches were a light shade of beige, and hugged her legs rather tightly, just enough to ensure a comfortable ride. She now wore a white tunic, tucked into her breeches, along with a belt that went around her waist. Satisfied, Anna left her room again in search for Elsa, Kristoff's love interest escaping her mind completely.

Anna practically skipped her way out the doors of the estate and towards the stables. The moment she saw those platinum blonde locks, she froze in her steps, staring at the beauty she called her best friend. Elsa wasn't wearing a dress like usual. She was in her own breeches, which could only mean she came alone on a horse. Not that it mattered much to Anna. The redhead was too busy staring at the blonde's body, her own heart beating a thousand times a second. Elsa was wearing a black riding jacket over a white undershirt. The jacket hugged Elsa's curves almost too perfectly, but unfortunately didn't show off the blonde's breasts. Anna was almost jealous of the jacket with how perfectly it fitted the blonde's body. And those breeches. They fit Elsa as well as Anna's fit her. The white breeches were too perfect. They hugged every curve of Elsa's legs, including her bottom. Anna knew Elsa wasn't very athletic, but those legs couldn't be more perfect. They were nice, long, perfectly shaped, and Elsa couldn't possibly be more perf- What was she doing?

Anna felt her jaw drop lower than it already did, especially as she watched Kristoff walk up to the goddess with a deep blush on his face. He was holding flowers behind his back, most certainly meant for the beauty before him. Anna felt her heart drop.

 _W-what...what is he doing? No...no! Don't give her the flowers! NO!_

 _..._

 _Don't...don't take my Elsa away...don't...don't. DON'T!_

 _..._

 _Why aren't you saying anything? You're my mind! Shouldn't you be giving me some kind of reality check here?!_

 _For once, I wholeheartedly agree with you._

 _Don't you dare! Don't you_ DARE _lean in for a kiss. Kristoff! Don't you DARE!_

As much as Anna willed herself to move, she couldn't. She was frozen in place as she watched the scene unfold before her. Kristoff was holding out flowers for Elsa, and leaning towards her. It's had to be for a kiss. It just _had_ to be because there's nothing else that action could be! The closer Kristoff leaned towards Elsa, the worse Anna felt. When Elsa finally turned her head away from the kiss, Anna was already on the verge of tears. Through her own watery eyes, she couldn't see that Elsa was staring directly at _her_.

"Anna?" Elsa called out, backing away from a shocked Kristoff as she walked towards the shaking redhead.

"Anna? What's wrong?" she cooed, placing a hand on Anna's back and rubbing soothing circular patterns into it.

"It's okay," she said as Anna leaned her head into Elsa's shoulder.

The tears were there. They just weren't falling. After a few blinks, Anna cleared away her urge to cry. It was okay. Elsa didn't kiss Kristoff. Elsa isn't holding the flowers Kristoff wanted to give her. Elsa's attention wasn't on Kristoff. Instead, Elsa was here, planting soft, gentle kisses in Anna's hair; instead, Elsa was here, rubbing circles on Anna's back; instead, Elsa was here, holding Anna like the most precious thing in the world.

"It's going to be okay, Anna," Elsa cooed again.

Anna closed her eyes as she felt a wave of calm come over her just before she pulled away.

"Thanks, Elsa," she said, smiling.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No...can we go for a ride?"

"Of course."

Elsa took Anna by the hand as they headed towards the stables. Kristoff bowed, but Anna wouldn't look at him. She couldn't see the guilt in his face. Instead, she got on one of the brown horses as Elsa got on her own white one. Anna led the way as Elsa followed, unaware of the looks the blonde was giving her.

They rode to the usual tree Anna loved so much, and took their respective places on the branch.

"Elsa...last night. What were you going to say?" Anna began, desperate for an answer.

"I...Anna...I was...um..." Elsa's eyes darted everywhere, trying to look anywhere but at Anna.

"Elsa, whatever it is, you can tell me," Anna said, leaning towards the blonde.

"I...I can't, Anna. I'm sorry, but I-I can't."

"Elsa, please!"

With every second of silence that passed by, Anna felt her heart wither away a little bit more. Was whatever Elsa had wanted to say so bad she couldn't say it now?

"Do you...do you hate me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. It had to be that, right? After all, Anna was the cause of the most terrifying moment of Elsa's life. Perhaps every time Elsa thought of her, she felt fear because of what happened. Anna felt her fingers dig into the bark beneath her hands. She couldn't bring herself to look at the blonde, and every second of silence after her question made her fear the worst. Perhaps Elsa didn't just _hate_ her. Perhaps she _despised_ her. Who knows what years of fear could do to a person, and Anna felt as if she's scarred Elsa for life. After minutes of silence, Elsa finally spoke up, so softly Anna wasn't sure if the blonde spoke at all.

"No. I don't hate you."

Anna froze. It was like she just experienced the worst moment of her life and the best moment of her life all within the same second. Her fears were assuaged but she couldn't shake the feeling that Elsa wasn't done talking. Or perhaps she was done talking, but simply hadn't said all she wanted to say.

 _What's so bad that she can't tell me?_

"Then...why won't you tell me what you were going to say?"

"Anna-"

"Please! I need to know!" Anna was shouting at this point, her shoulders hunched as she tried to curl into herself. "Elsa, I-"

Before she could finish, Anna felt a cold hand on her cheek. Elsa had taken off her gloves and the feeling of the blonde's skin against her was soothing. Slowly, she felt the blonde tilt her head so that they were looking at each other, and while Anna would love for time to freeze at that point so she could stare endlessly at the goddess before her, she felt something cold but soft and warm at the same time press against her lips. Her eyes widened and her body froze, and all she could register was how close Elsa was to her and the sensation of a gentle kiss on her lips. By the time she could recover from the shock, Elsa was already pulling away.

 _Don't go...don't stop._

Anna's hands reached up and grabbed the lapels of Elsa's riding jacket, pulling the blonde back towards her for another kiss. This time, she could see the shock in Elsa's eyes. As they both processed the action Anna just performed, they shut their eyes and leaned into the kiss. It wasn't deep, but it was passionate. It was enough to prove to the redhead she was utterly and completely in love with the blonde. How long? Who knows, and honestly, Anna couldn't care less. She loves her now and that was all that mattered. They tilted their heads to the side, trying to get as much of the kiss as possible. Elsa's hand came up and tangled her fingers in fiery red hair, pulling Anna closer even though such a feat is practically impossible at this point. Her other hand wrapped itself around Anna's waist, pulling their bodies together as well. Anna wasn't sure where to put her hands. Simply holding on to the lapels for dear life wasn't enough. She wanted to be closer. Her hands slid up from the cloth beneath them, gliding onto Elsa's shoulders. Her fingers curled into the jacket, trying to find any folds she could grab. Anna pulled back barely a millimeter and Elsa was already making a sound similar to a whine. She smirked against the blonde's lips as if to promise to make up for pulling back. Making up, she did, for Anna was nibbling Elsa's bottom lip within seconds, feeling the blonde's gasps in her mouth and her breaths against her skin. Elsa's hands were running up and down Anna's back while the redhead's were rubbing against Elsa's shoulders and neck, fingers barely touching the white-blonde locks she loved so much. Unfortunately, kissing on a tree with no hands to balance them was harder than she thought. The moment the two princesses felt themselves lean too far in one direction, the kiss was broken immediately. However, they were beyond recovery. Within seconds, Anna found her back against the ground, her bones aching from the impact. Elsa, from the looks of it, was unharmed, having fallen on top of Anna instead of the dirt. Anna's chest hurt slightly from Elsa's fall, but all the pain and aches went away once she noticed the blonde was in her arms, safe.

 _Warm..._

Elsa, once recovering from the shock of the fall, pulled herself away from Anna.

"Oh my god! Anna! I'm so-"

Anna cut her off with a finger to her lips. "Don't be sorry. It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

"No, Anna. It's mine. I shouldn't have kissed you like that...I-"

"Elsa, it's fine. Besides, I liked it."

"...Really?"

Anna felt her own face flush at the sight of Elsa. The blonde's face now held a hint of pink; her hair, though still perfect, was slightly messy; her bottom lip was red, either from the kiss or from Elsa biting it. Anna was sure there was nothing in the world more arousing than the sight of the beauty before her.

"Yes, Elsa. It felt really good."

"Are...are you okay? Does it hurt?" Elsa asked, her hands reaching out to touch Anna but stopped midair.

"It hurts," Anna groaned, faking an wince.

"Is...is there anything I can do to help?" Elsa asked, her face full of concern.

Bingo! Anna has Elsa exactly where she wanted her.

"Yes, actually. I'm not sure if you're willing, though."

"Anything, Anna. I'll do anything!"

"You...you could kiss me again."

Elsa's face at that moment was priceless. There was a mix of surprise, worry, mischievousness and most importantly love. Without another second of hesitation, the blonde leaned in, pressing her forehead against Anna's.

"Are you...are you sure?"

"Yes. Now kiss me."

Anna didn't wait for Elsa to respond as her hands reached up and pulled the blonde down, brushing their lips together gently before leaning in, sealing the kiss. A moan escaped Elsa's lips and Anna swore her heart was about to explode. The moan was the sexiest thing she's ever heard and there is no way she would let herself go another day without it, especially now that she's had a taste of it. Despite her urges, she managed to keep the kiss chaste. There was always time to deepen it, and at this point, she'd rather die than live life without Elsa. The blonde is her life, her goddess. Any concerns she had before regarding a marriage with Elsa could wait because no matter what happens, she swore silently, she will marry her.

* * *

 **A/N: I think I made up for making you suffer, right? Right?! Anyways, for those of you who were worried about me, thank you all for your concerns. I'm feeling much better now (no thanks to the people I see everyday). Who knew your feet and hands could get super cold at night while the rest of you burns like a supernova. It was not a pleasant feeling :(**

 **Anyways, I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I _know_ you all enjoyed reading it. I hope this makes up for any hard feelings for a while, cuz my cousin's wedding is coming up and I need to get ready for that...and I'm moving out (finally). Which means I'm going to be a bit busy for a while and you're all gonna have to wait for the next couple of updates (sorry). I'll make it worth the wait though. I promise :D**


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